Artist

William James Glackens

Portrait of William James Glackens
Portrait of William James Glackens

American, 1870–1938

William James Glackens was an American American Impressionism painter. 25 works are cataloged here, principally at National Gallery of Art, most of them oil paintings. William James Glackens was born in Philadelphia.

William James Glackens was an American realist painter and one of the founders of the Ashcan School, which rejected the formal boundaries of artistic beauty laid down by the conservative National Academy of Design. He is also known for his work in helping Albert C. Barnes to acquire the European paintings that form the nucleus of the famed Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia. His dark-hued, vibrantly painted street scenes and depictions of daily life in pre-WW I New York and Paris first established his reputation as a major artist.

His later work was brighter in tone and showed the strong influence of Renoir. During much of his career as a painter, Glackens also worked as an illustrator for newspapers and magazines in Philadelphia and New York City.

Works by William James Glackens

Collections represented

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Moments involving William James Glackens

Movements & circles

Catalog records compiled from museum open-access collections; the artworks shown are in the public domain. Spotted an error in this record? Tell us.